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What is the minimum salary for a highly skilled migrant in 2026?
The IND sets a gross monthly salary, without holiday allowance, that a highly skilled migrant has to earn. For 2026 it is EUR 5,942 for someone aged 30 or over, EUR 4,357 for someone under 30, and EUR 3,122 on the reduced criterion for recent graduates. The European Blue Card has its own amounts.
This is a reference page. It lists the salary amounts the IND, the Dutch immigration service, publishes for work permits this year, and nothing else. Every figure below is the figure on ind.nl for 2026, and the year is stated next to each one, because these numbers are reset annually and old ones circulate for a long time afterwards.
The amounts for 2026, in full
All amounts below are gross per month, without holiday allowance, as the IND publishes them for 2026. The three columns matter because the amount an employee has to meet depends on what is being applied for.
| Category, 2026 | First permit | Extension, same employer | Change of employer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highly skilled migrant, 30 or over | EUR 5,942 | EUR 5,942 | EUR 5,942 |
| Highly skilled migrant, under 30 | EUR 4,357 | EUR 4,357 | EUR 4,357 while still under 30, EUR 5,942 once 30 or over |
| Reduced salary criterion | EUR 3,122 | EUR 3,122 | EUR 3,122 |
| European Blue Card | EUR 5,942 | EUR 5,942 | EUR 5,942 |
| European Blue Card, reduced criterion | EUR 4,754 | EUR 4,754 | EUR 4,754 |
The under 30 amount keeps applying after the employee turns 30, as long as they stay with the same employer. It stops applying on a change of employer that happens after their thirtieth birthday.
Who gets the reduced criterion?
According to the IND, the reduced amount of EUR 3,122 a month for 2026 is for people coming out of the Dutch orientation year for graduates, or who meet its conditions. It applies during that permit, or within three years of graduating, of a doctoral defence, or of a research permit ending. It is not linked to age.
The European Blue Card has its own reduced amount, EUR 4,754 a month for 2026, and a different test: it is for graduates of a higher education programme, where the sponsor applies within three years of graduation or the doctoral defence. It can also apply on an extension within twenty-four months of the first Blue Card.
Which parts of pay count towards the amount?
The IND counts the gross monthly salary paid into an account in the employee's own name, plus expense allowances and fixed allowances such as a thirteenth month. Those extras only count if they are in the contract and the employer transfers them monthly, which means a thirteenth month has to be paid in twelve equal parts rather than once.
These parts do not count at all:
- holiday allowance;
- the value of anything paid in kind;
- pay that is uncertain or irregular, such as overtime allowances, tips and payments from funds.
On top of the amount, the IND checks that the salary is the market rate for the job. A salary set exactly at the published figure for a senior role can still fail that check.
Sources:
IND, Required amounts income requirements
IND, Residence permit for work as a highly skilled migrant, publication 3072
When the figures are reset
The IND states that the highly skilled migrant and European Blue Card amounts change every year on 1 January. The amount that has to be met is the one in force on the date of the application, or, on a change of employer, the one in force on the day the new employment contract starts.
That last rule is the one that catches companies mid-hire. An offer drafted in December against this year's figure, with a start date in January, is measured against next year's figure. The amounts for next year are published by the IND before the turn of the year.
Several other required amounts on the same IND page run on a different clock and are reset on 1 July as well as 1 January. The figures in the next section carry the period they belong to for that reason.
Amounts for the other work permits in 2026
These are the published figures for the routes a founder is most likely to weigh against the highly skilled migrant route. They are compared side by side in which visa route fits your team.
| Permit | Amount | Period it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Essential start-up personnel | EUR 3,122 gross income per month, without holiday allowance | 2026 |
| Researcher, guest lecturer or physician in training | EUR 1,635.90 social security salary per month, without holiday allowance | 1 July to 31 December 2026 |
| Self-employed person | EUR 1,766.77 gross profit per month, with holiday allowance | 1 July to 31 December 2026 |
The social security salary, in Dutch sv-loon, is the gross salary that Dutch payroll tax and national insurance contributions are calculated on. It appears on the payslip.
The tax office asks a different number
None of the figures above are the number the Dutch tax office uses for the 30% ruling. The IND measures gross monthly pay before tax treatment; the Belastingdienst measures annual taxable pay after the tax free allowance has been taken out, and it publishes its own limits. The two are set out together in the 30% ruling and what changes in 2027.
What the IND route itself asks of the employee and the employer is in what qualifies as a highly skilled migrant.
Sources
- IND, Required amounts income requirements, checked 22 September 2026
- IND, Residence permit for work as a highly skilled migrant, publication 3072 (PDF), checked 22 September 2026
- Belastingdienst, Deskundigheidsvereiste (in Dutch), checked 22 September 2026
- Business.gov.nl, Employing highly skilled migrants, checked 22 September 2026
Checked on 22 September 2026. This page is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Rules change: check the official source, or ask an adviser, before you act on it.
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